Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable . . . About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business

Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable . . . About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business

by Patrick M. Lencioni
Released March 2004
Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
ISBN: 9780787968052

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Book description

Casey McDaniel had never been so nervous in his life.

In just ten minutes, The Meeting, as it would forever be known, would begin.  Casey had every reason to believe that his performance over the next two hours would determine the fate of his career, his financial future, and the company he had built from scratch.

“How could my life have unraveled so quickly?” he wondered.

In his latest page-turning work of business fiction, best-selling author Patrick Lencioni provides readers with another powerful and thought-provoking book, this one centered around a cure for the most painful yet underestimated problem of modern business: bad meetings.  And what he suggests is both simple and revolutionary.

Casey McDaniel, the founder and CEO of Yip Software, is in the midst of a problem he created, but one he doesn’t know how to solve.  And he doesn’t know where or who to turn to for advice.  His staff can’t help him; they’re as dumbfounded as he is by their tortuous meetings.

Then an unlikely advisor, Will Peterson, enters Casey’s world.  When he proposes an unconventional, even radical, approach to solving the meeting problem, Casey is just desperate enough to listen.

As in his other books, Lencioni provides a framework for his groundbreaking model, and makes it applicable to the real world.  Death by Meeting is nothing short of a blueprint for leaders who want to eliminate waste and frustration among their teams, and create environments of engagement and passion.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. INTRODUCTION
  3. I. The Fable
    1. PREVIEW
    2. I. Flashback
      1. 1.1. THE MAN
      2. 1.2. HIS STORY
      3. 1.3. BREAK
      4. 1.4. THE RIDE
      5. 1.5. MEDIOCRITY
      6. 1.6. THE RITUAL
      7. 1.7. MALAISE
    3. II. Plot Point
      1. 2.1. FIRST DOMINO
      2. 2.2. MISDIAGNOSIS
      3. 2.3. MIRAGE
      4. 2.4. ALARM
      5. 2.5. SECOND DOMINO
      6. 2.6. THE INVASION
      7. 2.7. INTERPRETATION
      8. 2.8. J.T.
      9. 2.9. FIRST SHOTS
      10. 2.10. WHEN IT RAINS
      11. 2.11. SERENDIPITY
      12. 2.12. THE REFERRAL
    4. III. Protagonist
      1. 3.1. WILL POWER
      2. 3.2. DISORDER
      3. 3.3. FIREWORKS
      4. 3.4. SMOKING GUN
    5. IV. Action
      1. 4.1. FIRST HALF
      2. 4.2. SECOND HALF
      3. 4.3. ON THE TABLE
      4. 4.4. WET FEET
      5. 4.5. BAD SEQUEL
      6. 4.6. COMING CLEAN
      7. 4.7. THE SPARK
      8. 4.8. FALSE HOPE
      9. 4.9. CHANGE-UP
      10. 4.10. FAST BALL
      11. 4.11. DETENTION
      12. 4.12. LIGHT BULB
      13. 4.13. PUSHING THE ENVELOPE
      14. 4.14. NO PRISONERS
      15. 4.15. FILM SCHOOL
      16. 4.16. THE HOOK
      17. 4.17. MINING
      18. 4.18. PRACTICE
      19. 4.19. DRAWING BOARD
      20. 4.20. BOXED OUT
      21. 4.21. SECOND SEMESTER
      22. 4.22. MULTIMEDIA
      23. 4.23. THE DAILY CHECK-IN
      24. 4.24. THE WEEKLY TACTICAL
      25. 4.25. OUT OF THE BAG
      26. 4.26. G2
      27. 4.27. THE MONTHLY STRATEGIC
      28. 4.28. DIRECTING FOR DRAMA
      29. 4.29. THE QUARTERLY OFF-SITE REVIEW
      30. 4.30. CHICAGO HAZE
    6. V. Resolution
      1. 5.1. NOTHING TO LOSE
      2. 5.2. CRAMMING
      3. 5.3. SCRIMMAGE
      4. 5.4. RESEARCH
      5. 5.5. PRE-GAME
      6. 5.6. THE MEETING
      7. 5.7. LETDOWN
      8. 5.8. FRIENDLY FIRE
      9. 5.9. THE ANNOUNCEMENT
      10. 5.10. CLOSED LOOP
      11. 5.11. FALLOUT
      12. 5.12. FAST-FORWARD
  4. II. The Model
    1. THE PARADOX OF MEETINGS
    2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
    3. PROBLEM #1: LACK OF DRAMA
      1. MEETINGS VERSUS MOVIES
      2. THE HOOK
      3. MINING FOR CONFLICT
      4. REAL-TIME PERMISSION
    4. PROBLEM #2: LACK OF CONTEXTUAL STRUCTURE
      1. MEETING STEW
      2. THE FOUR MEETINGS
      3. Meeting #1: The Daily Check-In
        1. Inevitable Challenges
      4. Meeting #2: The Weekly Tactical
        1. The Lightning Round
        2. Progress Review
        3. Real-Time Agenda
        4. Inevitable Challenges
      5. Meeting #3: The Monthly Strategic
        1. Ad Hoc Strategic Meetings
        2. Inevitable Challenges
      6. Meeting #4: The Quarterly Off-Site Review
        1. Topics to Cover
        2. Inevitable Challenges
    5. THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF ALL: "THE MYTH OF TOO MANY MEETINGS"
      1. SNEAKER TIME
    6. A FINAL THOUGHT ON MEETINGS
    7. Weekly Tactical Meeting Guide
    8. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    9. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Product information

  • Title: Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable . . . About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business
  • Author(s): Patrick M. Lencioni
  • Release date: March 2004
  • Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
  • ISBN: 9780787968052